Long Beach has one of the best national park spreads of any city in the country, but the honest truth is that the geography is spread thin. The closest park needs a boat, two are easy day trips, and the marquee names like Yosemite and Pinnacles are five-plus hours away and deserve their own road trips. Here is the real math before you load the car.
I attended college in the Golden State and I have traveled up and down California. I will rank these by what you get for the drive, with the 2026 reservation and fee changes you need to know.
National Parks Near Long Beach At A Glance
| Park | Drive (one-way) | Designation | Day Trip? | 2026 Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Channel Islands National Park | ~1 hr 15 min to Ventura + ferry | National Park | Long day / overnight | Ferry required |
| Joshua Tree National Park | ~2 hr 15 min | National Park | Yes | $30/vehicle |
| Death Valley National Park | ~4 hr 15 min | National Park | Long day / overnight | $30/vehicle |
| Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks | ~4 hr to 4 hr 30 min | National Parks | Overnight | Nonresident surcharge |
| Pinnacles National Park | ~4 hr 45 min to 5 hr | National Park | Separate trip | $30/vehicle |
| Yosemite National Park | ~5 hr 30 min to 6 hr | National Park | Separate trip | No reservation in 2026; surcharge |
1. Channel Islands National Park
Drive from Long Beach: About 1 hour 15 minutes to Ventura Harbor, then a ferry. Fee: Park entry is free; the Island Packers ferry runs roughly $65 to $90 round trip.
This is the closest national park to Long Beach by miles, and the least visited in California, because it takes a boat to reach. Five islands sit off the coast, sometimes called the Galapagos of North America for their endemic wildlife like the island fox. Santa Cruz Island is the most popular for day trips, with sea caves, hiking, and snorkeling.
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Honest caveat: You must book the ferry in advance, and crossings can be choppy. Once on the island there are no services, so bring all your own food and water. Whale-watching crossings are a bonus in winter and spring.
2. Joshua Tree National Park
Drive from Long Beach: About 2 hours 15 minutes via CA-60 E and I-10 E. Fee: $30 per vehicle.
This is the best true day trip from Long Beach. Joshua Tree is where two deserts meet, the high Mojave with its twisting namesake trees and the low Colorado with its ocotillo and cholla gardens. The boulder piles are a rock climber’s dream and a sunset photographer’s playground.
Drive the main park road, walk the easy Hidden Valley loop, and stay for the night-sky show, because this is one of the best dark-sky parks in Southern California.
READ MORE: Things To Do In Joshua Tree National Park
Honest caveat: Summer afternoons are dangerously hot. Go October through April, or visit at dawn and dusk in the warm months.
3. Death Valley National Park
Drive from Long Beach: About 4 hours 15 minutes via I-15 N. Fee: $30 per vehicle.
The largest national park in the Lower 48 is also the hottest and lowest place in North America. Badwater Basin sits 282 feet below sea level, and the park holds the official record for the highest air temperature ever measured on earth. The scenery is otherworldly: salt flats, painted badlands at Zabriskie Point, and dunes at Mesquite Flat.
READ MORE: Best Things To Do In Death Valley National Park
Honest caveat: Visit October through April only. Summer here is genuinely life-threatening, and cars overheat on the climbs. Carry far more water than you think you need year-round.
4. & 5. Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Drive from Long Beach: About 4 hours to 4 hours 30 minutes via I-5 N and CA-99. Fee: $35 per vehicle, plus a 2026 nonresident surcharge.
These two adjoining parks protect the largest trees on earth by volume, including General Sherman, the single biggest living tree anywhere. Standing under these giant sequoias is the kind of scale that does not photograph well, so go see it in person. Kings Canyon adds one of the deepest canyons in the country.
READ MORE: Things To Do In Sequoia National Park
Honest caveat: A new $100 nonresident surcharge applies here in 2026, so non-US-resident visitors should budget for it. The mountain roads are slow and winding, so plan an overnight rather than a there-and-back.
6. Pinnacles National Park (Separate Trip)
Drive from Long Beach: About 4 hours 45 minutes to 5 hours via US-101 N. Fee: $30 per vehicle.
The newest national park in California is built from the eroded remains of an ancient volcano, with towering rock spires, talus caves you can scramble through, and one of the best places in the country to spot the endangered California condor riding the thermals overhead.
READ MORE: Things To Do In Pinnacles National Park
Honest caveat: The east and west entrances do not connect by road inside the park, so pick your side before you go. At nearly five hours, pair it with Monterey or the Central Coast.
7. Yosemite National Park (Separate Trip)
Drive from Long Beach: About 5 hours 30 minutes to 6 hours via CA-99 and CA-41. Fee: $35 per vehicle, plus a 2026 nonresident surcharge.
Yosemite is the one everyone pictures: El Capitan and Half Dome rising over the valley, Yosemite Falls thundering in spring, and granite everywhere you look. It is the farthest park on this list and worth every mile, but only as a real trip.
2026 update: Yosemite is not running a day-use reservation system in 2026, so you can drive in without a timed permit. Traffic and parking are still heavy in summer, and the $100 nonresident surcharge applies, so plan an early arrival and budget accordingly.
READ MORE: Things To Do At Yosemite National Park
Honest caveat: Six hours each way is a road trip, not a day trip. Book lodging or a campsite months ahead, especially for summer and fall.
More Things To Do Near Long Beach
If you want a closer outing or a non-park day, Long Beach has plenty in its own backyard:
- The Queen Mary is the retired ocean liner permanently docked in Long Beach, now a hotel and museum. It is a worthwhile city attraction, but to be clear it is not a national park.
- Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is a true NPS site about an hour northwest, with canyon hikes and Pacific overlooks.
- Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego, about 2 hours south, has tide pools and a historic lighthouse on Point Loma.
- Catalina Island is a short ferry from Long Beach for snorkeling, kayaking, and a car-free town.
READ MORE: National Parks Near Los Angeles
Channel Islands National Park is closest by distance at about 1 hour 15 minutes to the Ventura ferry terminal, though you need a boat to reach the islands. Joshua Tree National Park, about 2 hours 15 minutes away, is the easiest drive-in day trip.
No. Yosemite is not running a day-use reservation system in 2026, so you can drive in without a timed permit. Traffic and parking are still heavy in summer, and a $100 nonresident surcharge applies, so arrive early and plan ahead.
You should know that this guide does not come out of thin air. More Than Just Parks is a family operation. My sons Will and Jim have spent their adult lives exploring America’s national parks and public lands destinations, working with the National Park Service, the Department of the Interior, the USDA, and the U.S. Forest Service for years on films about important places and issues. Their work has been featured in leading publications around the world. I taught American history for 25 years, and I write our history and travel guides.
